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Christian McCaffrey described George Kittle as “the heart and soul” of San Francisco 49ers after the experienced tight end suffered an Achilles injury that ruled him out of the playoffs.
Kittle tore his right Achilles victory 23-19 on the reigning champion Philadelphia Eagles last night and, after being taken away on a cart midway through the second quarter, will now spend an extended period on the sidelines.
It’s another blow for the 49ers, who were already without defensive end Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner. But they rallied for a resounding victory that sees them advance to an NFC divisional round matchup with the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday.
Running back McCaffrey, who was largely confined to the ground, caught two touchdown passes, one a elaborate play that resulted in a pass from wide receiver Jauan Jennings, to inspire the 49ers offense and he gave credit to Kittle.
“This team carried the George Kittle persona all year long,” he said. “He’s the heart and soul of this team. It’s a tough loss. When he doesn’t play, it means a lot. When you lose a leader like that, you never really lose him because his presence is still in that locker room. His energy is still there.”
Shanahan proud of courageous San Francisco
If the Niners emerged victorious, it was in large part thanks to a coaching masterclass from Kyle Shanahan.
“I was proud of the guys, the way they fought,” Shanahan said. “Having two linebackers that weren’t on our team a month ago, and those guys playing that whole game and at a high level, it was so impressive. Having two turnovers and them having none, and finding a way to win that I thought was huge.
“Losing Kittle early in the game, it was obviously a depressing game for everyone. When you see that, the guys stepped up and still played and competed, and found a way to win that game. We thought it was going to be a crappy game. That’s how we say it. It was, and our defense made it that way. [I’m] really proud of the guys.
Seattle coach praises San Francisco
A trip to Seattle on Saturday is another tough assignment, but the Seahawks also know they’re in for a tough game despite the 49ers’ injuries.
“I know they’re a division rival and all that, but it was a heck of a win,” Seattle coach Mike Macdonald told NBC. “I mean, that was a really gutsy performance. I hate to see that happen to George Kittle. He’s such a great player. [and a] great competitor.
“We have a lot of respect for him, and [it] It makes you really sick that this happened to him. But to come back and rally and make those plays late like they did, it was a really impressive win.
